What Is The Center For Spiritual Living

Ernest Holmes founded the Centers for Spiritual Living (CSL) in 1926 as a religious group promoting Religious Science. Prior to 2011, the United Centers for Spiritual Living (officially, United Church of Religious Science) and the International Centers for Spiritual Living were the only two organizations (formally, Religious Science International).

What is a spiritual center?

Your spiritual core is a mysterious spot within yourself where you can find mental, bodily, and emotional tranquility, even if only for a little moment. It's common advice in yoga and meditation to “ground and center” yourself. Your spiritual core, according to an instructor, is a spot where you feel entirely at ease and at peace with yourself and the world around you.

What is spiritual life?

Spirituality is a vast topic with many different interpretations. In general, it entails a sense of belonging to something larger than oneself, as well as a quest for purpose in life. As a result, it is a universal human experience that affects all of us. A spiritual experience might be described as sacred, sublime, or simply as a strong sense of aliveness and connectivity.

Some people may discover that their spiritual lives are intertwined with their affiliation with a church, temple, mosque, or synagogue. Others may turn to prayer or a personal relationship with God or a higher force for comfort. Others look for significance in their relationships with nature or art. Your unique concept of spirituality, like your sense of purpose, may evolve through time as you adjust to new experiences and relationships.

Do a body scan

Throughout the day, pay attention to your body. Take a minute to scan your body and become aware of any discomfort, stress, or worry you are experiencing. Maybe your jaw is clinched, your chest is congested, or you're feeling nauseous.

Simply observe it and breathe into it, whatever it is. Visualize sending breath into that region in your body as you inhale. Allow yourself to exhale and let it go. Spend a few moments simply breathing into your body.

Guided Body Scan Meditation

You can also listen to my Body Scan Meditation, which is a guided meditation. I made it for my Meditation Challenge, but I decided to make it public to help you feel more grounded right now.

Practice lovingkindness meditation

Another lovely meditation to try is metta meditation, also known as lovingkindness meditation. It comes from the Buddhist tradition and is quite easy to learn and practice.

You create sentiments of love, pleasure, and kindness for this practice, and then energetically send those sensations to yourself and others. It makes you feel more connected to strangers as well as friends.

With this lovely technique, you can ground yourself in kindness. The steps are listed below. Simply go through them and familiarize yourself with the structure; it's a basic approach that you can't go wrong with! Then take a comfortable seat or lie down, close your eyes, and practice lovingkindness.

How to practice lovingkindness meditation

Make any required posture modifications so that you are completely comfortable and calm.

Focusing on yourself will be the first step in your lovingkindness meditation. You generate more love for others when you build love, kindness, and compassion for yourself.

Inhale slowly and deeply. Gently exhale. Then repeat each of the following intentions silently. It's fine if you don't understand everything right away; with practice, you'll be able to remember the phrases. What matters most is your intention.

Next, think of someone you care about. Feel your gratitude for them, and then give them this gift of lovingkindness. You'll use the same format as before:

Consider someone who is neutral to you, someone you see on a regular basis but with whom you do not have a close relationship. It could be a coworker you don't see very frequently, a store clerk, or someone you follow on social media.

Bring this person into your mind and focus on them with lovingkindness. Use the same format as before:

Now think of someone with whom you have a more challenging relationship. Choose someone who will not irritate you or cause you to feel bad. Perhaps it was an acquaintance who made you feel uneasy or someone who irritates you.

Keep in mind that no matter how much this person has harmed you, they are also suffering. Recognize their sadness, their anxiety, and their fears, and do your best to extend words of lovingkindness to them:

Now, expand your awareness to include all beings, including yourself. All people and animals from throughout the world. Silently repeat:

Relax in quiet afterward, allowing the spirit of lovingkindness to pervade your being. Feel a sense of oneness with all living things. Recognize the sense of relief that comes with lovingkindness.

Allow yourself to be motionless until you're ready to open your eyes and exit your meditation.

Sit on the ground and drink tea

This is precisely what it appears to be. It's something I enjoy doing when I need to feel grounded. I prepare myself a hot cup of tea and then drink it slowly while sitting on the floor of my house (or on the ground outside).

This simple exercise usually makes me feel calm because it reminds me that I am always supported by the soil underneath me. It's also a proactive approach of moving away from doing and toward being.

Do something routine

Doing some kind of extremely ordinary work or activity is one of my favorite ways to get out of the swirl in my thoughts and feel grounded.

It's easy to feel unmoored in these turbulent times. An ordinary, constructive activity might help you stay in the now.

Set aside time to check the news and social media

Setting out a few minutes each day to monitor the news is quite beneficial to me. We're now inundated with information and updates.

Given the gravity of the situation, it's critical to have a tight relationship with the media. However, we must ensure that it is not an additive pattern that is interfering with our well-being.

(If keeping connected to everything during the day suits you and you have your own system in place to manage it, go ahead! This is unique to everyone of us.)

But, if you're feeling overwhelmed, here's what I do: I make time in my day for news and social media. I read articles, watch videos, and check my feeds at these times. Then I come to a halt. I also make it a point to stop for at least an hour before going to bed.

If you like this idea, set aside one to three times every day to focus on news and social media. If you like, you can even set a timer!

If you feel emotionally charged afterward, I recommend doing something grounding. Try one of the tactics in this post, go for a walk, eat a snack, or dance to a tune that makes you happy.

If you're over-spiritualizing, take my mentor's advice

I recall coming to Rha Goddess, who was my coach at the time, several years ago (and is still my dear friend).

I was looking for her opinion. I was taking care of all the spiritual matters. I was manifesting, meditating, and praying at the same time.

Rha was well aware that I needed to re-establish my footing. I had all the tools, yet I didn't need another breathing method, meditation, or affirmation at that time. I needed to unwind with a scoop of ice cream!

This is some of the best advice I've ever received, and I'd want to pass it on to you.

If you've done everything spiritually possible and want to know what's next, here's what you should do:

Watch uplifting content to feel grounded in joy

Even in the midst of adversity, there is joy to be found. You might simply have to go out of your way to find it! Thankfully, this isn't a difficult task. On YouTube, look for comedic clips. Watch motivational lectures. Play the videos of people getting together to show their support for peace and unity.

To get you started, here are a few #DearGabby episodes. Every Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. ET, I host a new live IGTV show. I can assure you that any of these will make you happy!

What does finding your center mean?

I'm not talking about Sanskrit when I say yoga teachers have their own language. I'm referring about the other strange sounds we hear during our Hatha yoga practice. Find your center, ground yourself, become present, listen to your breath, and set your aim are examples of phrases.

I'd been practicing yoga for years, under a variety of wonderful teachers who would advise me to do these things but not how to accomplish them.

Please don't get me wrong: I'm sure any of my outstanding instructors would have been pleased to explain if I had asked, but I was too shy or embarrassed to ask.

As a yoga newcomer, these expressions can make us feel excluded, as if we don't know the ancient tribe's secret handshake. At one point or another, we've all been here. Maybe it was your first yoga session, with a teacher you'd never met who concentrated more on the spiritual aspects of the eight limbs, or maybe you're thinking about starting a yoga practice but are worried you won't know the “handshake.”

I didn't have the confidence to question “what does that mean?” until I started Yoga Teacher Training. I'm hoping to relieve some of the burden here by sharing what I've learned about some frequent yoga phrases.

1. Locate your focal point.

Connecting with your spirit means finding your center. Allow yourself to be filled with gratitude for your inherent goodness. Your center is that intangible point within your core that represents the best version of yourself. It reassures you that you can trust your intuition, that you are safe in this universe for your purpose, and for some, it may be the place where you connect to your higher power or God. Your center is a secure location that is always open to you and provides opportunities for rejuvenation and refreshment.

2. Establish a strong foundation.

“Rooting” in my practice refers to connecting with my root chakra, or Muladhara. When the first chakra, located at the base of the spine, is open, one achieves an emotional and physical state that is sustained by the universe's beneficial energies, allowing for a deep and secure connection with oneself and the surroundings. Trust, resourcefulness, and courage are all enhanced when this chakra is balanced. Tadasana (Mountain Pose), Virabhadrasana 1 (Warrior One), and Setu Bhandasana are a few recommended yoga poses for balancing the Muladhara (Bridge Pose).

3. Bring yourself into the present now.

This term refers to clearing your mind of any external concerns and focusing solely on the task at hand. Being present in the moment can be tough in our fast-paced, multi-tasking existence. Allow yourself to actually be doing yoga while you're doing it.

Pay attention to your breath, body, and instincts. It is simple, but not easy, to be present in the moment. One can learn to be present in all situations with time and practice, allowing for awareness and consciousness in any scenario.

4. Pay attention to your breathing.

This phrase means exactly what it says on the tin. We have been breathing since the beginning of time on this planet; it is a natural reflex that is often overlooked. When we practice yoga, we become more aware of our breath, recognizing how our intake and exhale support each movement.

Breath can help you move forward in your stance and go deeper. It can also tell you if you're working too hard or if you're in good spirits. Get to know your precious breath, look after it, and let it remind you of everything it has carried you through.

5. Make a goal for yourself.

This is a term that I had no idea what it meant for years, yet I heard it in almost every yoga class. Setting your aim differs from person to person, and from moment to moment, as I've discovered through personal study.

One class, I could want to concentrate on strength, breathing, flexibility, or attempting a new pose. My aim for another day can be to take care of myself, open a chakra, honor my body, or be present in the moment. But the majority of the time, I find that my intents are directed outward.

When I teach a class, I frequently propose setting an intention for the group's positive energy to be sent to a place experiencing a perceptually terrible period, such as the less fortunate in your neighborhood or a major event in the news. Intention resembles a prayer, a devotion, a desire, or a wish. We learn to live a more intentional life by practicing intention in yoga, allowing us to reach our greatest potential.

While these concepts might be helpful, the most important thing is to listen to your body and spirit, and to look after yourself and others.

What is New Thought Christianity?

The New Thought movement was one of the more well-known movements that arose in the nineteenth century to assist people gain a deeper grasp of divine secrets by using the power of their minds. The phrase “New Thought” meant that one's thinking may open the secrets to living a better life, free of religious dogmas or ideologies.

New Thought was popularized by Phineas Parkhurst Quimby, a clockmaker from Portland, Maine, who advocated a set of philosophical theories centered on the mind's ability to heal illness.

Quimby felt that the mind was the source of disease. He preached that disease might be cured if one's thoughts were changed. Quimby dealt with a number of people who spread some of his ideas.

Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science, another religious movement that emerged in the later half of the nineteenth century, was his most famous disciple.

Eddy eventually separated herself from Quimby, focusing her movement on correcting what she viewed as Christian mistakes. What Eddy did share with the New Thought movement, however, was the conviction that curing illness was linked to the mind's ability to heal.

The New Thought movement had turned its focus away from sickness cures by the 1890s. Instead, it concentrated on the mind's ability to generate material wealth. Beryl Satter, a historian, observes,

“Unpleasant thoughts materialized into negative situations since human thought had creative power, whereas spiritual thoughts might produce a positive reality.”

The emphasis on personal affluence in New Thought chimed with ideas associated with the late-nineteenth-century Gilded Age. Popular literature, such as the Horatio Alger novels, focused on how hardworking underprivileged lads earned material prosperity.

What is the Religious Science movement?

Ernest Holmes (1887–1960) started the Religious Science movement in the United States. New Thought teachings and a belief in the power of the mind for healing and fulfillment of life drew Holmes and his brother Fenwicke in.

What is a spiritual teacher called?

Shaykhs or Sufi teachers, Gurus (including Hindu Gurus, Sant Mat Gurus, and Sikh Gurus), Buddhist teachers, including Tibetan Lamas (which is really just the Tibetan word for Guru), and Mahasiddhas (who may be claimed by both Buddhist and Hindu traditions) are some of the subcategories of spiritual teachers.

Many Western spiritual teachers exist, some of whom claim a spiritual ancestry from the East and others who do not.

The phrase “spiritual teacher” originates in Western tradition and refers to a broader understanding of spirituality.

What is it called when you are spiritual but not religious?

“Spiritual but not religious” (SBNR), sometimes known as “spiritual but not affiliated” (SBNA), is a popular phrase and initialism used to describe a spiritual life perspective that does not see organized religion as the only or most valuable source of spiritual growth. Historically, the terms religious and spiritual have been used interchangeably to express all components of the notion of religion, but in modern usage, spirituality has come to be connected with the individual's interior existence, emphasizing the “mind-body-spirit” well-being.

What are the 3 elements of spirituality?

In their eternal wisdom, all shamans, healers, sages, and wisdom keepers of all centuries, continents, and peoples claim that human spirituality is made up of three aspects: connections, values, and life purpose. These three components are so strongly linked that it may be difficult to tell them apart. Take a minute to ponder on each facet of human spirituality to determine the state of your spiritual well-being if this is possible. This will be a three-part monthly series, starting with relationships.

Internal (your domestic policy)—how you deal with yourself, how you nurture the relationship with yourself and your higher self—and external (your foreign policy)—how you relate, support, and interact with those people (and all living entities) in your environment—are the two categories of relationships.

What criteria would you use to assess your internal relationship, and what steps could you take to improve it?

How would you assess your external relationships, shifting from the perspective of domestic policy to international policy?